The Folk Union is a personal project set up to help facilitate discussion about folk revival projects today.
The Folk Union grew out of several years of working within what I saw as a new folk revival movement. This revival takes many forms. It includes musicians returning to traditional songs, artists and designers drawing on folk imagery, community groups reviving customs, and, increasingly, commercial brands adopting folk symbols as part of their visual language.
This resurgence is not, in itself, a problem. In fact, it’s amazing and I am very lucky to be a part of it. Folk culture has always shifted and reappeared in new forms. But it does raise questions about how folk is used, who benefits from its visibility, and what happens to the communities and traditions that come under sustained attention.
The Folk Union exists as a platform for discussion about the movement that’s taking place now. Rather than simply looking ever more closely at folk culture itself, it asks us to look at the movement we are part of and the responsibilities that come with it. It offers a shared standard for projects that want to work with folk culture carefully, ethically and in solidarity with others.
The Union is not a membership organisation, it doesn’t require meetings or dues or formal structures. It hosts events, Folkmoots, to facilitate discussion about folk culture today.
As a folk-related project ourself, The Folk Union has laid out a set of values which we try to stick to. Projects that agree with these can sign the Charter and carry the Folk Union mark. The mark is a simple signal of shared values, and a way for like-minded projects to recognise one another and feel connected as part of a wider cultural movement.
Contact
All illustrations are by Mike Hankin.
The best way to contact me is via Instagram direct messages.
Otherwise, please email here.
Read our Moderation Guidelines
The Folk Union does not set positions, make decisions, or speak on behalf of the people who take part. It doesn’t define folk culture or attempt to shape it.